The Space Between
by Alilibo
Summary: After the Dark War Magnus and Alec are stronger than ever. However Alec is about to be sent on a trip to Peru. When things start to go wrong, how can Magnus save Alec in a country he can no longer enter? My first Fanfic and my first Malec FanFic.
1. Chapter 1- Magnus

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Mortal Instruments. All characters belong to Cassandra Clare_

Chapter 1

He was fully aware that he was scowling at the boy sitting on the armchair across from him. However Magnus felt that since Jace Herondale had come to his loft, to take his boyfriend away he had every right. Magnus had made no move to try and speak to Jace in the 30 minutes he had been there. He was sulking, a skill picked up in his many years and he prided himself on his commitment to the dramatics.

"You know I will only be gone a week. It's not that long if you really think about it." Alec yelled from the bedroom. "If all goes well in Peru, I may not even take as long."

This had not been the first time that Alec had stated this and despite the fact it was a perfectly accurate statement it did little to improve his mood. Magnus thought of the week ahead that would be filled with tedium. He would be alone in his loft with only the Chairman to keep him company. And to make matters worse Alec was going to Peru of all places.

Many years ago, long before Alec, Magnus had spent a considerable amount of time in Peru and had grown rather fond of the country. Much to Magnus's dismay he was no longer welcome in the country due to a particular adventure that he could not remember. One thing that Magnus was sure about was that the adventure had something to do with copious amounts of alcohol. So the fact that Alec was about to go off on some adventure with his parabatai, failed to improve his mood in the slightest.

"I know, I know." Replied Magnus somewhat exasperatedly. "It's just that you guys get to go and have fun and I am stuck here alone with nothing to do. Even Catarina is busy or as I suspect avoiding my calls. There is nothing to do, no chaos to deal with, no world to save." He moaned.

"You must be the only person on the planet that is annoyed that the world isn't coming to an end." Jace laughed. "I'm sorry but I think my girlfriend is all out of homicidal relatives, so there is little I can do to help I'm afraid."

Magnus rolled his eyes and moved to lie across his sofa, allowing his feet to dangle over the edge. He knew that no matter what he said Jace would have some witty retort. He had known enough Herondale's over the years to know that there was no winning. When he had first met the newest Generation of the Nephilim he had been convinced that Alec was a Herondale. He had Will's striking blue eyes and pitch black hair, the particular colouring that Magnus found to be the most attractive. However the moment that Jace had opened his mouth he had known who his ancestors were. Magnus knew that Alec got this colouring from Will's sister Cecily, which brought back many happy memories. Alec had changed Magnus's view on Lightwoods and had caused him to have more affection for the family. Despite his link to all these ancient shadowhunter families Alec was perhaps the most unique shadowhunter he had ever met. In his almost 400 years Magnus had never met anyone with such a mix of vulnerability and strength.

"What am I to do abandoned all alone in this city?" Magnus yelled to the movement that was Alec in the next room. Jace seemed to have stopped paying attention and was flicking through a magazine that had been left on the table. "How will I spend my time without a companion for my adventures?"

"Have you ever considered staying out of trouble?" Alec replied with a laugh. "I know that every cell in your body rejects the very thought, but you could give it ago."

"My dear sweet Alec, you act as though I seek trouble, but it is a universal truth that all trouble seeks to find me. It's a burden I must bear."

In response to this Alec gave a quick surprised laugh that caused Magnus to grin. Magnus took great pleasure in his ability to get Alec to laugh, he liked that Alec was comfortable enough around him to let his guard down.

"You must promise me one thing Magnus." Said Alec gently, having moved to stand behind the sofa where he lay.

"Anything for you."

"No parties while we're gone, I can't have you finding a replacement for me while I'm not here."

"There is no one like you Alexander Lightwood." Magnus replied in a gentle voice, winning him a smile from Alec.

Magnus remembered the party he had thrown for Chairman Meow, with a great fondness. It was the night where he had first laid eyes on Alec, and if he was honest with himself the start of his in infatuation with the beautiful boy. He remembered the look of shock on Alec's face when he had called him beautiful. Despite his anger at the time that Nephilim had chosen to crash one of his Downworld only parties, seeing Alec had made up for it. The fact that the party had resulted in him dating Alec had only caused him to find these kinds of celebrations to be of the utmost importance. He knew that their relationship had been a tad bumpy, but after that night on the roof in Alicante after the Dark War they had been as solid as ever.

After realising that Alec had moved his case to the door and returned to his spot behind Magnus, he broke from his recollections. It was only then he had realised he had been smiling. He had done so just in time to see Alec lost in conversation with Jace. On the odd occasion he caught Alec like this he tried his hardest to drink in every detail of him. From this angle Magnus could see his bottle-blue eyes shining as he spoke, he watched the muscles in his arms move under his shirt. He could see the softness in Alec's face and was glad that he had stopped scowling as much as he once had. Seeing Alec like this made Magnus feel a sense of peace, it was something special, he thought to himself, to see the person you love most in the world find who they truly were supposed to be.

Considering all of this made Alec's imminent departure even more difficult to deal with. While lost in his own world Magnus must have missed Alec's announcement that they were about to leave. He watched as Jace got up to leave the loft with a brief goodbye. He knew that Jace had left to stand outside to wait, he knew that Jace wanted to give Alec a proper chance to say goodbye. This small gesture reminded Magnus of Will and he silently thanked the fundamental kindness of the Herondale family. When he was sure that they were alone Magnus expertly pulled Alec beside him on the couch.

"I was thinking that I could just keep you prisoner here, so that you don't leave without me." Magnus could feel Alec laugh as he tightened his embrace around him.

"Try explaining that to the Clave." Alec replied with a chuckle. "It's not my fault you couldn't come. If you hadn't been up to your usual shenanigans then we wouldn't be in this mess."

Magnus smiled and slowly leaned forward to kiss Alec. It was supposed to be a gentle kiss, but it turned into a deep kiss that promised that no matter how far apart they were they always had each other. As their kissing slowed he felt Alec smiling.

"If that's how you plan to keep me here, I'll have to go while I can still object." Said Alec somewhat breathlessly. Slowly he pulled away from Magnus and it took all Magnus had in him to let him go. "Anyway I'll see you in an hour at the Institute, remember you said you would open the portal. I have the meeting with the Conclave, about being head of the institute for a bit while my Mum is away. I'll see you soon."

He couldn't help but smile as he watched Alec talk. Magnus knew that he was excited for this new, brief power and he a surge of pride in his chest for the boy he had fallen so deeply for. With cat like grace Magnus rolled off of the sofa and landed effortlessly on his feet. Slowly he walked Alec to the door, scooping up the Chairman as he went. With a final kiss goodbye, Magnus watched as the door clicked into place. Magnus's cat eyes gleamed as he snapped his fingers causing blue sparks to fly. He grinned, little did Alec know Magnus had just repacked Alec's case. It was Magnus's belief that if you were to go on an exciting adventure, you had to have a wardrobe to match. He couldn't let Alec go on an escapade wearing one of the many tired awful jumpers that he owned. What kind of boyfriend would he be if he did?


	2. Chapter 2- Alec

Chapter 2

Alec paused to listen for the sound of the door closing. He knew that he would see Magnus again soon, and that a week wasn't a long time but he had already begun to miss his warlock. Taking a deep breath he took the stairs two at time and emerged onto the street to find his parabatai leaning against the wall, staring at his phone.

"You know Clary is in Idris with Izzy right? No phones, therefore no texting." Alec said nonchalantly as he began to walk towards the subway, Jace scrambling on his heels.

"I wasn't…" Jace started, but stopped himself with a sigh. "How did you know?"

"I am your parabatai, I am also older and considerably wiser. Oh and I'm not blind, you have a soppy look on your face you only get when you think about her. " Alec stated matter of factly.

Despite poking fun, Alec was happy Jace was happy. He had known his adoptive brother for over eight years now, and in the last year he had met the Jace he liked best. The past few years had changed his little team and expanded it to include Clary and Simon but most importantly Magnus. He reflected on the changes that everyone had gone through and came to the conclusion that they had all changed for the better. Jace seemed at peace and cheerful, Izzy had learned to love and trust others which made Alec happy in itself. Alec knew how much had changed, he felt confident in who he was and had found a love that consumed his very being. He couldn't imagine his life without Magnus and he was glad that he did not have to.

"Like you don't know anything about soppy looks." Jace replied. "You and Magnus are kings of them."

Alec couldn't help but laugh at this. He knew that as a couple he and Magnus did act extremely loved up but he could find no issue in this. Jace's tone confirmed what Alec had come to believe, he had no issue with who he had fallen in love with.

"I can't argue with you on that." Alec laughed. "However as your friend I can't allow to stare at a phone that will not ring." Unsure of how he managed, Alec grabbed the phone out of Jace's hands and placed it in his pocket. "I refuse to go on an adventure with you if you pine after Clary the whole time."

"If I'm not mistaken you sound like you want to have fun. Who are you and what have you done with my brother?" Jace asked with an accusing stare.

It was true that it was out of the norm for Alec to be looking for opportunities to have fun instead of working out how to get the job done. The aim of the trip was to inform the institute in Lima 'of the new conditions of the Accords and relay what effects this would have with downworlders' and to 'help aid in the selection of a new trainer for the children,' or so his mother had told him. However he suspected that the Clave was using them to scare the Peruvian institutes to obey the new laws and to show off the heroes of the dark war. Alec knew that the trip was going to consist of boring meeting full of shadowhunters that did not want to be there. Not for the first time Alec wished that Magnus could come with them.

In the time that they had been dating since the end of the war, Magnus had told Alec the colourful stories of his past, many of which involved Peru. He wished they could walk down the streets hand in hand while Magnus recanted stories of heartbreak and debauchery. At one point these kinds of stories would have sparked jealously within Alec, but he had realised that these experiences were what made Magnus who he was. All of the history and love had lead Magnus to where he was now, and Alec admitted to himself that there was nothing he would change.

Both boys walked along the road, step perfectly synchronised and chatted. It was times like this that Alec was glad he had agreed to be parabatai with Jace. They chatted about their shared happiness for Izzy and the hope that they shared for Simon as he trained, which they would never admit to his face. Absentmindedly Alec drew his keys out of his pocket and twirled them around his finger.

"What is that keyring you have?" Jace asked. "I can't work out what it means."

Alec glanced at his keys and smiled as he grabbed the keyring. "It's Captain America's shield." He said offhandedly.

Jace gave Alec a confused look. "That is no help in the slightest."

"He's a superhero. I found Magnus's collection of comics a while ago and started reading them. He's pretty cool, fights for good and all of that. He fights by his own moral code and unites the Avengers to be earth's mightiest heroes. He carries a shield, hence the keyring. Simon got me the movies for my birthday, they're pretty good, lots of action." Alec stated with a shrug. He was trying to hide the level in which he had become obsessed with the superhero.

"Oka-y…" Jace seemed to not know what to say in response to this.

It had been Magnus's fault that he was reading comics and watching movies. Despite his love for shadowhunting and all that it entailed, Alec had found a comfort in aspects of the mundane world. He knew that a part of this was due to the fact, that when he was with Magnus he felt completely human. They had taken to going to the movies for dates and Alec had begun to immerse himself in the mundane culture. With Magnus he no longer felt the immense pressures that came with being Nephilim. With Magnus he was just a normal guy without the responsibility of the world on his shoulders. With Magnus he felt normal.

From his response it was clear that Jace was content with this answer and continued on to tell an elaborate story about a time with Clary. With ease Alec fell back into the comfortable way he had always been with Jace. They continued down the road reminiscing and swapping stories about fights and battles that they had won. Their laughter filled the almost empty streets, but Alec knew that the glamour and soundlessness runes that both of them had put on stopped any mundane from even knowing they were ever there. Together they turned into the subway station as Jace vividly retold a story about a pack of Ravener demons they had destroyed in central park.

* * *

As they walked out of the subway station Alec could see the institute rise up in the distance. He knew that they were only a few blocks away from his childhood home but the walk seemed endless. A small part of Alec dreaded facing the New York Conclave, but he knew that if he was to lead in his mother's absence he had to actually turn up. It was a technicality, but an important one at that. He could feel his stomach turning as he thought about facing his mother. Despite the fact that Maryse was perfectly comfortable with Alec's choice of boyfriend, Alec still felt as if his mother had some kind of issue with the whole situation. He placed it down to the fact that she we close to being alone in the institute. Alec had moved into the loft with Magnus in the weeks following the end of the Dark War, Isabelle had been spending more and more time in Idris helping in what ways she could at the academy where Simon was training. Jace and Clary had become inseparable and ended up travelling the world together. He knew that, aside perhaps from Izzy, his mother was still struggling with the loss of Max. That fact that his father had decided to stay in Idris with no intention of returning had done little to help. It hurt to think of his mother all alone in the institute, but he knew there was little he could do to be any real help.

"How long do you think the meeting will last?" Asked Jace pulling Alec out of his reprieve.

"Hopefully no more than 20 minutes, but even that can feel like an eternity. Get ready for disgraced looks and thinly vailed references to both my age and sexuality." Alec stated with fake cheer.

"I would argue that the Clave isn't that bad but I have met them and I don't see the use in lying. It's not like we saved the world or anything."

Alec laughed at this, as he pushed open the doors to institute. "I overheard a conversation about how leaving me in charge would result in the place becoming a glittery rainbow mess. I do love the assumption that all gay men are extremely flamboyant."

"Well you are dating Magnus Bane who is the very definition of flamboyant. I'm surprised that you aren't sparkling right now, just from being in such close proximity."

"If the lights hits me at a certain angle I shine like a disco ball." Alec replied begrudgingly.

This thought caused Alec to shudder. He knew that no matter what he did in this meeting he would be scrutinised by his elders. In the past years he had begun to question the Clave and its actions. He didn't understand how such a powerful organisation was open to so little change and disapproved of things such as who you loved. Why should he show these people the upmost respect just because they were older than him? In Alec's mind age did not equate to power or respect. Despite this belief, Alec knew that the meeting would consist of a group of 'adults' trying their best to remove him from his new found position due to the fact he was not only dating a man but a warlock at that. He cursed the small flower of hope that had begun to bloom in his chest. There was a small part of him that thought that maybe one day the older generations would accept him as the strong shadowhunter that he had begun to believe he was. It was one his greatest weakness, that regardless of all evidence, Alec could hope that things would turn out differently.

The creak of the lift calmed Alec. He told himself that despite all else, he was raised in the New York institute and it would always be a home for him. As they emerged from the lift Alec found himself searching the area for Church to lead them to their destination. Alec laughed as he thought of Izzy's reaction to Brother Zachariah, now Jem Carstairs, taking back what had turned out to be his cat. At this point he remembered the pictures of the former silently brother and their former cat that Izzy had received and he struggled to stifle another laugh. Strangely enough Alec had grown to miss Church and was glad to have Chairman Meow in the loft. This however would never be told to Magnus. His smile and laugh caused Jace to throw him a confused glance, which Alec just shook off.

The doors to the library came into view and Alec could hear mumblings coming from behind them. With Jace at his side he pushed forward trying to radiate as much authority as he possible. In was no use. The looks on the faces of the New York Conclave confirmed all the doubts Alec had about their faith in him. Silently he counted back from ten in his head. If he were to survive this meeting he needed all of the calm and serenity that he could muster. He thought about the faith that Magnus had in him, and felt that he should do it for him. It was the least he could do after hiding Magnus's extensive collection of nail polish.


	3. Chapter 3- Magnus

Chapter 3

Looking in the mirror Magnus came to the conclusion that his outfit was perfection. It was not overly decadent that it would offend the Nephilim of the New York institute, nor was it so dull that it would not draw attention to his impeccable taste. He wondered if there was any way that he could get a matching outfit for Alec. Despite the fact that he knew without a shadow of a doubt that Alexander would look dashing in such apparel, he accepted that there was more chance that Magnus would purge his life of all decadence and glamour before Alec would wear anything remotely like this. Today he was sporting a pair of extremely tight red tartan jeans and an oversized black sweatshirt that hung tastefully off of his shoulder. Magnus's outfit was finished with a pair of worn black converse and an old military jacket he had picked up at some point in the 1940's. In the past few weeks Magnus had somewhat reverted back into his punk ways. It was more of a fashion belief than anything ideological.

"Pick up the phone my sapphire beauty, I need your wise and caring words of wisdom." He knew that it was unlikely that Catarina would return any of his calls, despite this he leaned forward to redial her number. "Catarina! You must come quickly! It's a matter of life and death! Well to be fair that's a lie but I need to speak to you."

Magnus was fully aware that his actions were that of a desperate man, but he needed to speak to someone about the looming departure of Alec. Over the years Catarina had been there for Magnus throughout many of his romantic issues and he wished that she was here to help him with this. His relationship with Alec had was something completely unique and the feelings that had arisen where something new to Magnus. He hadn't been prepared for someone to make him feel like this and it had been a shadowhunter none the less. Catarina had been one of the few that had actively encouraged him to be with Alec. For all the years that he had known her she had been a healer and an exceptional one at that. She had always cared for mundanes who would have scorned her for her true appearance. Despite this fact she aimed to primarily heal those oblivious to the shadow world, yet she had always helped to mend Magnus's broken heart. In the past he had gone on many adventures with Catarina and he suspected that she may actually know why he was no longer allowed to enter Peru.

To his left his phone began to vibrate on top of his vanity table. He lunged across the room to grab his phone, glad that there was no one to see him. Much to his annoyance Catarina had chosen to reply to his numerous calls with a text.

 _Magnus this is not an emergency, I have patients to deal with. He'll come back, you'll be fine._

At this he sighed, he was hoping for a more caring response from his oldest friend. He knew that it was a short period of time but Alec was a shadowhunter and anything could happen. Being a shadowhunter meant everything to Alec, but Magnus could not help the panic that arose when he thought of the young age at which many died at. He began to consider any way he could sneak into the country to ensure the safety of Alec and Jace. Just as the thought passed his mind, Magnus's phone vibrated again.

 _Don't do anything stupid._

She knew him too well. He knew that it would only cause more trouble for Alec if he turned up in Peru. There was a part of Magnus who felt bad for bothering Catarina with what must seem trivial to her. In the past few weeks he had noticed that she was running herself into the ground at the hospital. He knew that she wanted to help people, but he also knew that some nights she had worked so hard that her glamour had begun to slip. There had been a few occasions in which Alec had returned to the loft after a long day of hunting demons to find Catarina asleep on the couch. It was clear on Alec's face that he was worried for Catarina as well. Magnus a great warmth roll through him as he remembered Alec's actions the week prior.

When the door had opened the evening the previous week Magnus had not expected to see Alec enter the flat with a protesting yet exhausted Catarina. He shot a smile over to Magnus as he instructed Catarina to sit with a strict level of authority that did not match someone of his years.

"I met Catarina on the subway over here, she seemed to be heading back to the hospital." Alec informed Magnus as he moved to collect plates from the kitchen. "I decided that she was over worked and needed some much deserved rest, some excellent company and a decent meal. As it is stands we have extra rooms where someone could sleep, are a pleasure to be around and I have bought a ridiculous volume of food from Taki's. So naturally I brought her here." Magnus looked at Alec across the room with a grin on his face. He had never known a shadowhunter that cared this much for a warlock.

"I hope that's okay." He added with an unsure glance towards Magnus.

Catarina laughed. "He can be awfully persuasive and despite his age he is wide beyond his years. I finally gave in. After all who better to spend my night with than two of my favourite people?"

Magnus's cat eyes gleamed. "You are always welcome in this loft, never forget that." He settled in between the two on the couch. He remembered the rest of the night with great fondness. He remembered their laughter as they shared stories while they ate. Alec had surprised him that night, but he had been glad that he cared for Magnus's friends.

Circling his feet, the Chairman began meowing somewhat pathetically. In the time that Alec had been living there he had become the main caregiver for the cat. He knew that in the upcoming week he would not be the only one to miss Alec. He felt a hopeless solidarity with the cat.

"Perhaps we could call Tessa and Jem. I could lure her in with the promise of Jane Austin and Chinese food. And we both know that wherever Tessa goes, dear sweet Jem will follow. Then it's the simple task of not allowing them to leave." Magnus was aware that he had been talking to his cat, but in time like these he needed to speak to someone who he knew to be of sound mind. The Chairman gave Magnus what he perceived to be a withering look

"You like Jem remember, he is extremely kind to you. Or are you jealous of Church. I think that may be it." Magnus continued to the cat. "Or are you disapproving of my ingenious plan to kidnap some of my friends. I know they are out in L.A. and it is very unlikely that they will return. Perhaps, Chairman we will be left just the two of us. "

With a sigh of defeat Magnus stuffed his phone into his pocket and headed for the door. Before turning to leave he surveyed the loft. Due to his extensive magical abilities he was able to change the loft to fit whatever mood he felt. In his heart of hearts he knew that no matter how he changed the space in the coming week it would still seem empty without Alec. Before this moment he had not noticed the extent in which Alec made the loft a home. He brought a light and energy that could not be bought. With a quick smile Magnus doused the lights and left the apartment. He made his way to begrudgingly send his true love to another country for an entire week.

* * *

Magnus leaned against the gate of the institute while he waited for Alec to appear. Despite the casual and nonchalant air he was exhibiting, it took all Magnus had in him not to barge into the meeting. He had been alive long enough and known enough shadowhunters over the years to know that they would be unreasonably harsh toward Alec. It was no secret this was due in part to Magnus, but he could not help who he loved. He did not understand how the Clave could write off who he considered to be one of the best shadowhunters, not only of this generation but that has ever existed. Magnus knew that he may have a slight bias.

Glancing up, Magnus could see both Alec and Jace emerge into the sunlight. Although it had been mere hours since he had last seen him, Magnus's heart sped up at the sight of Alec. Even after all the years of his life, he knew he would never tire of the feeling of seeing someone he loved. Not long after the Dark War Magnus had sworn to himself that he would live in the moment and not consider how much time he had left with Alec. It was moments like this that he had begun to live for. He felt his whole body relax as Alec caught sight of him and made his way over. Still in conversation with Jace, Alec leaned his back against Magnus's chest. He could feel his boyfriend's gentle breathing as he wrapped his arms around his slender frame. It always amazed Magnus how well the two of them fit together, it was almost as if they were designed to be with one another.

"So how did the meeting go? Is everyone ready to follow their brand new leader?" Magnus asked as cheerfully as he could. He knew that it was more likely that it hadn't gone well but he felt the optimism was needed.

"If you count not one, but two arguments about my claim to the position due my sexuality a victory, then it went fantastically." Alec stated with a thick layer of sarcasm.

"To be fair last time there were four, so we've made quite a lot of progress." It was clear that Jace was trying to improve the mood of Alec. Magnus would have been grateful for this had his attempts not been so terrible.

Across the courtyard he shot Jace a look that stopped the boy from continuing his next thought. "Did anyone actually support Jia Penhallow's decision to appoint you?" Magnus asked with bated breath.

"Well aside from Jace and my Mum there were enough votes to allow me to take up the position until my Mum returns." The relief was painted clearly across Alec's face. "Kadir actually threatened to take arms against anyone who was planning a coup while I was in charge."

"It was equal parts terrifying and extremely kind." Jace declared with a laugh. "Someone actually said that one of the many reasons you were fit for the position was that as my parabatai you have managed to keep me alive of these years."

"Over the years I have known many Herondale's, all of which seem to have a death wish. It must be genetic." Magnus stated and turned Alec so they stood chest to chest. "It takes an extremely strong person to keep them alive. It's an added bonus if they are devilishly handsome."

Alec rested his head on Magnus's shoulder. It was an action that suggested both a casual gesture and a great level of intimacy. He was proud of his little shadowhunter, who had stopped outwardly caring what his elders thought of him and embraced his true self. From across the courtyard he caught Maryse smiling at the embrace between him and her son. In the time since he had first met Maryse Lightwood, she had changed considerably. She was no longer the harsh and hating child that had been in the circle, but had transformed into a fair and just woman. Her love for son could be read from her face as if it were a book. For someone who had once so despised downworlders, she seemed to be content with Alec dating Magnus. He suspected this would last only if Magnus did nothing to break the heart of the oldest Lightwood child. Quietly he swore to himself that he never would.

He was aware of the eyes upon the both of them and begrudgingly untangled himself from Alec. In order to keep any form of physical contact, he linked his fingers with Alec's. They were calloused and worn, the hands of a warrior, but somehow they were incredibly gentle and tender. Alec squeezed Magnus's hand affectionately, causing the bones in his hands to knock against the many rings that were decorating Magnus's fingers. They walked together hand in hand to the side of the institute, where Magnus had drawn many portals over the years. As they walked he lost himself into the small world that only existed to him and Alec. Being immortal meant that time went differently for him. However in moments like these time seemed to slow to allow Magnus to remember ever little detail of the day. He was thankful for these small moments as well as the boy he had found to share each one with.

Along the side of the institute was covered in twisting vines of ivy. The sunlight seemed to miss this small patch of ground, as if it was hiding it from the rest of the world. Magnus knew that in the surrounding streets there was plenty of traffic which would create a lot of noise. In the clearing however there was an eerie calm and quiet which seemed alien on any New York street. He had always known that the shadowhunters had lived in a world of their own, in this moment it had never been more evident.

Behind himself and Alec he was aware that Jace and Maryse were following them in close conversation. Magnus moved towards the wall of the institute and began to draw the portal. The runes flowed easily from Magnus, creating portals had become second nature to him. None of the rune that he used came from the shadowhunter grey book. Magnus had always found his magic more elegant than the powers of the shadowhunters. Upon the wall a blue light began to shimmer as a portal formed.

"Is it true you actually helped to create the portal?" Maryse asked almost sheepishly. Magnus, surprised by this raised an eyebrow in response. "I was told a story about it when I was younger and I've always wondered if it was true."

"As it is I did. In fact one of Clary's ancestors Henry Branwell created them. I only gave a small level of assistance. All credit is due to him." Magnus remembered Henry with great warmth. "In fact it was first used to help some Lightwood's, among others, help save a Herondale and a would be Herondale. But that is a story for another day." He knew that one day he would tell his new friends about the adventure with his old friends. He also knew that he would need the help of Tessa to give the story its true justice.

"I guess, it's time for us to go then." Alec asked of no one in particular.

Maryse hugged each boy in turn, touching both of their face and muttering motherly comments about keeping safe and having fun. In order to give the three privacy, Magnus turned to face the portal and focused on where he wanted to send the boys. The portal began to change and Magnus could see the sunlight reflect off of the buildings. A part of Magnus longed to step through the portal and return to the country that he loved. Aware that the group had fallen silent, Magnus gracefully turned to face them.

"Ready when you are."

Both boys took a step forward and Alec told Jace to go first with a gentle nod of his head. Slowly, Jace walked to the portal and disappeared.

Magnus was aware that they were not alone. This however didn't stop Magnus. Slowly he linked his fingers through the weapons belt around Alec's waist and pulled him close. Their arms tangled around one another and Magnus leaned his head into the crook of Alec's neck. He inhaled deeply, Alec smelt of sandalwood. They stood together for a moment and Magnus felt his heartbeat slow to match Alec's. In way of goodbye he gently drew back to kiss his boyfriend. He quickly lost himself in the kiss, he knew that he would never tire of kissing Alec. The kiss was begrudgingly brief. Alec slowly pulled away, his pale cheeks flaming with colour. They whispered their goodbyes to one another, before Alec turned to leave. At the last second Alec stopped and turned to face Magnus with a grin that lit up his face.

"I love you, never forget." Alec stated as if it was the only real truth he knew.

"And I love you." Magnus replied, just before Alec turned to face the portal.

He watched as Alec slowly vanished. With the final disappearance of a shock of inky black hair Alec was gone. Inwardly Magnus groaned, he knew that it was going to be a long week.

Maryse's voice broke the silence causing Magnus to jump as he remembered he was not alone. "Well after all of that I really need a drink. Preferably something strong." She turned and walked back towards the institute. Just before she turned the corner, she turned her piercing gaze on Magnus. "Well are you coming or not?"

Despite his confusion, Magnus grinned. He had never expected Maryse Lightwood to invite a downworlders into the institute for a drink, but he guessed that time must change people.

"I have embarrassing stories about Alec, Isabelle and Jace. If that in anyway sweetens the deal." She added with an afterthought.

"I was sold before, but now I am definitely in. This shall be fun." With a slight spring in his step he moved to join Maryse. He felt excited to hear more about his boyfriend and to hear anything he could use against cocky Jace Herondale. But most of all he was happy to be accepted another member of Alec's family. He knew that there was little hope for any acknowledgement from his father but he was eager to develop a connection with his mother.


	4. Chapter 4- Alec

Chapter 4

The first thing Alec noticed after coming through the portal was the sweltering heat. He could already felt the sweat drip from his back. In hindsight he knew that he hadn't had to have worn gear, but he had wanted to be taken seriously by the Peruvian shadowhunters. Regret began to pour through him, how was he to act as a source of information and as a teacher, if at any second he could pass out from heat exhaustion? In the corner of his eye he could see Jace adjusting to the new found heat. Alec noticed the flush that had appeared in his cheeks and his uncomfortable shifting in his gear. It had been a long time since he had had, what could only be considered a crush on Jace. Although those feelings had passed Alec was still able noticed small changes in him, he placed this down to their parabatai connection.

"Bloody hell, you think someone would have mentioned the heat." Jace said as he unzipped the jacket of his gear.

"And I thought New York summers were bad. I would have thought that the guy who once had heavenly fire pumping through his veins could deal with the heat." Alec responded. He was aware that Jace had thrown him a withering look, but Alec was no longer paying attention to his brother.

Peeling away the glamour, the Lima institute came into view. It stood tall against the city's skyline. He drank in all the details of the building. The intricate stone work fascinated Alec. Within the stone there were elegant carvings and atop what appeared to be turrets, were complex glass domes. Alongside the statues of saints and other holy figures was an elaborate depiction of the angel Raziel. Around the perimeter of the institute ran a black steel fence. At certain points along the fence the light hit a post illuminating elaborate engravings of runes. The runes spoke of protection and safety.

Just like the New York institute, Alec knew that the Lima institute was built atop a church. Stepping over the boundary, Alec could feel the power radiating from the building. It was an ancient power. The courtyard held the same calm as the one back home. Both boys mounted the steps and stood at the double oak doors.

"Do we knock, or do we just go in?" Jace asked curiously.

"We're going to knock. Could imagine if someone just walked into the institute back home? Imagine Mum's reaction if she found someone just wandering about." The thought of this alone caused Alec to laugh. He reached up and grabbed the knocker letting it fall again. A boom echoed out through the square.

"Poor idiot. They would face a wrath worse than when we accidently set fire to the rug. She was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen."

"You would think that a group of demon hunters wouldn't be afraid of anything. It would have been comically to have seen the two us, Izzy, Clary and Simon cowering in fear." Alec recalled.

Both boys were caught in fits of laughter just as the doors opened, to reveal a stern looking couple. Alec was caught off guard and tried his best to stifle his laughter. He looked straight ahead not trusting himself to look at Jace in the fear he may break into sniggering once again.

"Alec Lightwood and Jace Herondale I presume." The stern woman stated. Both boys just nodded. Both the man and the woman stood aside and gestured for them to enter. They introduced themselves to the boys as Carmen and Isaac Ravenwood.

The man and woman seemed almost identical despite the fact they looked almost nothing alike. It seemed to Alec that they both had the same hostile air, same proudly set shoulders and distasteful glare. Carmen was a small woman and seemed extremely breakable as if a strong gust of wind would snap her in half. Despite her size and gentle features she was anything but fragile. Isaac was a mountain of a man, he towered over both of the boys. Strapped across his broad shoulders was an impressive longsword. Where she was pale almost to the point of seeming translucent, his skin was considerably darker and sun kissed from living in Lima. Isaac's hair was a dark brown which Alec had first thought was as black as his own hair. Carmen however had blond hair that was pulled back into a severe ponytail that brought a harshness to her. It was clear to Alec that she was not originally from Peru, he suspected from her slight accent that she had grown up somewhere in the Netherlands. As he drank in all of the details of the couple, he could feel their looks upon him. Carmen still looked disgusted at the sight of them, but her husband's features had softened and he had broken into a grin.

The first thing Alec noticed about the entryway was that it was considerably colder than the outside world. He silently thanked the angel for the cooling air. The inside of the institute was dark with no witchlight illuminating where they stood. This made it almost impossible to see any of the details of their surroundings. Despite the darkness Alec could see the look of disgust on Carmen's face. He shifted uncomfortably, questioning his agreement to come to the institute.

With a look of great distain at both Alec and her husband Carmen muttered, loudly enough for everyone to hear. "By the angel, you think they could have sent us someone who is actually of age." It was obvious that they were not welcome in the institute and that there would be no pretence that they were.

"Both of us actually are." Alec said to no one in particular. Almost immediately he wished he had just said nothing.

To his surprise Isaac responded with a gentle laugh. "We weren't much better when we were at their age." He told his wife. "They do have a better success rate than we ever did. Do you remember the time that we fought the group of rouge vampires and then we almost died of food poisoning of all things? We did think we were invincible when we were young and to think how close mundane issues always came to destroying us. Not that I have any issues with downworlders." He added the last bit hastily. "I have the upmost respect for them, I only hunt those that break the accords. I've been friends with the local pack leader for years, we've been known to play a game or two of football." It was clear that his rambling was a sign of nervousness. Alec however was grateful for anything that would fill the awkward silence. His wife shot him a look that caused him to stop talking all together.

"Someone will show you to your rooms, our first meeting will be tomorrow at noon." Carmen had already started walking away from the group. "Your dinner will be served in each of your rooms." She added without a backward look.

Isaac started walking towards an archway at the other end of the entry way. He stopped just before passing through and turned to face both Alec and Jace. "Well come on then, I'll show you to your rooms. I've lived her almost all of my life, so I'll only get you a little bit lost." Alec quickly went to follow Isaac, with Jace on his heels.

At the end of the corridor was a large set of stairs. As they walked Isaac told them stories and made jokes. Without his wife Isaac was considerably more human and being around him caused Alec to begin to relax. Alec knew that he couldn't have been more wrong about Isaac. He was a kind and gentle man, despite the sheer height of him. It was clear that he didn't care how old Alec and Jace were or who Alec loved. His wife on the other hand was more of a bitch than he had first thought.

As they reached the top of the stairs Alec caught sight of a notice board from the corner of his eye. To his left he heard Jace snort before trying to hide his laughter. He turned to face his parabatai and found him to be pointing at a poster on the corner of the board. He knew immediately who the person in the picture was. He would have known those cat eyes anywhere. It was a poster of Magnus that stated in bold letters that Magnus Bane was to be refused entry into the country by the authority of the high council of Peruvian warlocks.

"Oh that's a warlock that is no longer allowed to come into the country." Isaac stated with a chuckle. "When I was a child there were hundreds of different rumours about why he's banned. I suspect that only he and the high council know, they are awfully secretive about it all."

Alec couldn't help but laugh at this. "I know for a fact that of the many things Magnus Bane knows, one thing he doesn't is why he is forbidden to visit this country."

The statement gained Alec a look of puzzlement from Isaac and another snorting laugh from Jace. It was obvious that Jace hadn't stopped laughing from the time he saw the poster and he had lost the ability to make any noise while he did.

"Magnus is my boyfriend." It was a simple statement but Alec had learnt that it was one that could immediately change the atmosphere in a room.

"Does he really look like that?" Isaac hadn't been at all bothered by Alec's admission. He felt touched that this stranger did not judge him based on his sexuality and he felt a warmth for the man.

"Not at all! The eyes are right but the rest is a mess. His nose is not that hooked or crooked, he has all of his teeth and his ears don't stick out like that." He reached into his pocket to grab his phone. In the moment he silently thanked the mundanes technological advancements and the invention of camera phones. He snapped a quick picture, laughing as he thought of the uses he could have with it. After ensuring the picture was saved, Alec flicked to a photo of him and Magnus. With a flick of his wrist he turned the phone screen to face Isaac and received a brief laugh.

"Boy did they get his picture really wrong."

"Please let me be there when you show him that picture." Jace laughed, tears streaming down his cheeks. "It would make my year."

At the thought of Magnus's reaction he could not help but laugh. He knew the warlock would be unimpressed with the chosen image and could imagine all the jokes that would follow. Alec made a mental note to show the picture to Catarina next time he saw her, knowing she would get a kick out of it.

With another laugh Isaac continued down the hallway. This time the boys didn't need the prompt as they followed quickly on his heels. From the conversations it was clear to Alec that Isaac was content to talk to anyone as long as they were willing to talk back. There was little tension as the trio walked down the hall. The images that hung on the walls were similar to the ones he grew up around in New York. Every few feet there was some variation of the angel Raziel, either rising from the lake or speaking to Johnathan Shadowhunter. Alec found a comfort in this sense of continuity.

Isaac stopped in front of a two doors, one on each side of the hall. "These are your rooms, I hope they are okay. If you need me, I'll be in the library. Feel free to wander, and if you get lost you'll bump into someone eventually who can set you on the right path." With surprising gentleness he clapped both boys on the shoulder and with a final grin turned and left.

Alec shrugged to Jace and turned to enter the room on the left. "This'll be an interesting week." Alec stated, more to himself than to Jace. His parabatai laughed. "Well you did want an adventure." Without another word both boys entered their rooms allowing the door to close behind them.

* * *

The room Alec had been led to seemed to be extremely familiar. It was evident that all of the institutes employed the same minimalist design in the bedrooms. The room's layout was the same as his one back in New York. Taking up most of the room was a large four poster bed, a large ebony wardrobe stood against the far wall beside a matching chest of drawers. A small window let a gentle light into the dark room. Alec felt an ache in his chest for his home in Brooklyn. He had grown up in the institute, but he felt most at home in the loft. He loved the uncertainty of how it would look day to day and the way in which Magnus would change it to suit both of their moods. However there were some similarities that he was thankful for. The bare stone walls helped to cool the room, giving Alec a refuge in the scorching heat. The idea of countless meeting seemed a tiny bit more bearable if it allowed him to hide from the warmth and the blasting sun. It felt odd to be staying in an institute without Isabelle being just down the hall. The feeling was alien, he had always associated the institutes as being a place of family. He guessed that it may be due to his unique family situation.

He had been in his room no longer than five minutes when he heard footsteps pounding down the hall. Sticking his head out the door, he caught Jace doing the same. Both boys shared a look of confusion. From down the hall they could hear someone barking instructions in Spanish, the sharp orders echoing off of the walls. He knew what the tone of voice meant. It was a tone with a level of panic, a conflicting level of calm and an edge of excitement. The voice was a call to arms. Without another look at Jace he hurtled into his room.

Thankfully he hadn't changed out of his gear and easily slung on his jacket. With the ease of years of practice he fastened his weapons belt around his waist, strapping a sword into a holster. Atop his chest of drawers lay his bow and quiver full of runed arrows. Alec had always thought here was a grace and elegance to the bow and arrow. In his life he had always found it odd that weapons could be so beautiful. He supposed anything that had the extreme power and potential to destroy life was exquisite in its own distinctive way. Strapping the quiver to his back, he thrust the door to his room open in perfect time to see his parabatai head down the hall. Without a word, the fell in step with one another. Even so far away from home, Alec was happy he could count of the consistency of being around his parabatai.

It had quickly become obvious that their stay in the Lima institute wasn't going to be pleasant. The demon attack came as a welcome distraction from the awkwardness of the situation. Perhaps, Alec thought to himself, their aid in helping to slay a demon would help the relationships within the institute. There was little doubt in his mind that they would do anything but stop what he assumed was a demon attack. He believed in his heart of hearts that even without the rest of his little team, he and Jace would be able to stop almost anything.

They made it to the doors of the weapons room along with the last members of the Lima Conclave. All around them Shadowhunters were putting on gear and grabbing weapons. Both boys stood awkwardly in the doorway unsure of what to do.

"There is a demon attack in process at the beach. We need all able bodied shadowhunters to bring down this pack." Isaac was addressing his conclave. Alec could see how much trust these people put in him and couldn't help trusting him too. Isaac caught sight of Alec and Jace and smiled. "I see you boys are more prepared than most of us, you are more than welcome to join us if you wish."

"I am not fighting alongside some filthy downworlder lover." To everyone's surprise it was Carmen speaking, her tone vicious.

Usually Alec was polite and courteous. He was humble and respectful, always trying to keep the peace. However the past few years had changed him. He had decided to speak his mind, and was willing to defend his friends no matter the cost. His own feelings meant nothing to him, he had experienced cruelty before and would do so again, and he had long since stopped caring. People could say whatever they wanted about him and he wouldn't bat an eye. He would however, defend Jace, Izzy, Clary and even Simon. They were his family and he refused to let anyone speak badly of them. Perhaps most importantly he would let no one bad mouth Magnus, no one would be allowed to declare injustices about him. Especially not a shadowhunter that knows nothing about and has no right to even consider even thinking ill of him. Supressing the anger that had risen in his chest to cloud his vision, he went to respond to his supposed wiser elder. The room had filled with gasps at Carmen's comment. Before a single word could pass Alec's lips, two different but distinct voices filled the air.

"You have no right to say anything like that. My parabatai is braver and a better person that you will ever be!" Alec could hear the hatred in Jace's words.

"How DARE you speak to him like that Carmen!"

Much to Alec's surprise Isaac had jumped to his defence. However his attention was quickly drawn away from the stranger, who had chosen to stand with Alec than with his family, to Jace. On the outside Jace seemed almost calm, his expression was vacant, however Alec knew better. It was clear to him that Jace was enraged. His mind flashed back to the time when Jace's veins were full of heavenly fire. His face bore the same signs of someone trying to supress his emotions. Of someone who was trying with all his might to keep his cool. It was the look of someone who was about to explode.

The room began to fill with noise once again as Alec turned to face his brother. "It's okay, just ignore them. It doesn't matter." He muttered almost under his breath, knowing Jace would hear. His voice was calm and had a soothing edge to it.

"They shouldn't talk to you like that, I don't like it."

"It's fine, I can deal with it. I don't care what they think and neither should you."

"But they don't know you or Magnus. They shouldn't be allowed to say these things. They just don't know how amazing you guys are. It really pisses me off."

They had disappeared into their own world just the two of them. Alec being the big brother and trying to rid Jace of all the anger that he was feeling. He could see the tension relax from his shoulders and the colour return to his cheeks.

It was obvious that Isaac had been arguing with his wife just before he approached the pair. "Please forgive my wife, she is unjustly biased and should never have said anything. I was hoping you would still be willing to fight with us. We need as many skilled warriors as we can get." Isaac outstretched his hand to Alec.

"I would be happy to fight alongside you." Alec stated, shaking Isaacs hand with a weary smile.

The group of what appeared to be about twenty shadowhunters turned to leave the room. Alec and Jace allowed everyone to leave before taking up the rear. The anger was gone from Jace and a giddiness had filled him as they headed to the fight. As they made their way to the exit of the institute a sense of calm filled Alec. It was the uneasy excitement that always filled him before a battle, a mix of exhilaration and panic for those around him. If he knew nothing else he knew that he would protect Jace with his life and in return his parabatai would do the same.

Just before they reached the large oak doors leading out into the inky night, a slender figure fell back from the group and into step with Alec. Jace raised an eyebrow at him and then sped up to give the two privacy. To his left was a small girl who looked to be about the same age as Isabelle. She had large gentle brown eyes that looked up at him with a sense of admiration.

She smiled sheepishly at Alec and turned her head to look at him as she spoke. "I realise this isn't the best time, but when we get back would I be able to talk to you about somethings?" There was a nervousness to her voice. Alec looked at her with a gentle yet puzzled expression. She dropped her voice as her cheeks flushed ruby red. "Ermm, I like girls not boys and I'm not sure what to do."

Alec felt his heart swell for this girl that was in the same situation he had been in a few years prior. He knew that it was his duty to help her in any way he could. There was no one there to guide him when he came out, he would be lifeline for this stranger. It was his duty.

"I will help you in any way that I can. I will promise you that much."

This gained Alec a magnificent grin from the girl who muttered her thanks before speeding to catch up with the rest of the group.

They emerged into the courtyard once again. The heat had died down but it was still uncomfortably warm even as night drew in. A portal was shimmering on the wall and shadowhunter after shadowhunter was passing through. As Alec's turn to step through came he thought to himself that perhaps something good would come from the trip after all.


	5. Chapter 5- Magnus

Chapter 5

Much to Magnus's surprise Maryse Lightwood was a good drinking buddy. After spending a short amount of time with her, she had shed the severe persona she normally exhibited. Instead of this façade she seemed to be a caring woman and could see the motherly tendencies coming through. It was clear that she understood he was centuries old, but alongside treating him like an adult she also seemed to have a need to protect him like she would her own child. They had been chatting for a few hours and Magnus was beginning to feel a strong genuine affection towards his boyfriend's mother. They were lounged across sofas that were placed in front of a roaring fire. Magnus had lit the fire in a snap of blue sparks causing what seemed to be a look of childlike amusement to spread across Maryse's face. She had regaled in his stories of magical escapades. It was odd Magnus thought, to see a grown woman so caught up and delighted by stories of magic. It was especially strange as she had grown up knowing the truth about it all.

There had been a lull in the conversation, but it was not awkward. It was as comfortable as being with an old friend. Magnus's eyes were drawn to the light reflecting off of the wine glass that had been placed empty on the floor. The light hit the glass causing a gentle prism of colours to appear. They had spent the night drinking, but neither were drunk. Magnus felt tipsy at best and could feel the warmth of the alcohol inside him. It was enough that he could relax and speak openly but not enough that he would lose control altogether. Maryse's voice broke through the silence, but it was gentler than Magnus had expected.

"Please don't hurt my son."

It was a simple request, yet it held and extreme power over Magnus. In his immortal life he had loved many people and broken many hearts, just as his heart had been broken many times. The idea of hurting Alec caused a pang of pain in him. He knew that he was capable of hurting Alec but he also knew that doing so went against every fibre of his being. He would give anything to never have to see pain in those beautiful blue eyes. He shuddered at the thought of causing Alec any form of pain. However he did know that he had hurt Alec when he broke up with him before the Dark War. Doing so had nearly killed Magnus. He had sworn to never do so again, as his world burned a little brighter whenever Alec was in it.

"I never will. And if I am stupid enough to do so, then I give you my permission to punish me as you see fit. It would be the least I deserve."

"Good. That's the right answer… You do love him don't you?" Maryse sounded hopefully as she asked the question. It was clear that she wanted Magnus to feel the same way as she perceived Alec to feel about him.

"I have lived for hundreds of years and I have loved many people." At this statement Maryse sat up straight her expression hardening. Magnus held up a hand to stop her retort. "However I have never loved anyone like I love your son. He has changed my life for the better and made me feel the truest definition of love. I would be lost without him."

This seemed to calm the rage that had arisen in Alec's mother and she seemed to be pleased with the answer. An awkwardness filled the room, causing Magnus to feel like a teenager again. He put this down talking to his boyfriend's mother about their relationship. They fell into a silence once again and Magnus began to ponder how much time had passed. When Alec had left it had been late afternoon, the sun still in the sky casting long shadows on all that it hit. Now however the sky had changed to be a dark inky blue, the moon was out in full and there barely a star to be seen. Magnus remembered a simpler time when he had gazed at the sky and picked constellations out of the blanket of stars. Now through the light pollution that rose from New York the sky was a starless, impenetrable blue.

Maryse seemed content with Magnus's response and moved away from the topic of conversation. He could imagine how they looked, the unlikely couple. The former member of the downworld hating circle and a warlock who had stood against them. It was unexpected how close they had become in the passing hours. He remembered the girl Maryse had been and was thankful for the woman that she had become. Thoughts whizzed through his mind as he tried to find some way to thank Maryse for raising her son the way that she did. Thank her for showing him so much love, and allowing him to love with the brilliance that he did. The words were about to pass his lips as he was interrupted.

"Why aren't you allowed in Peru anyway?" Maryse seemed genuinely interested. She was staring straight at him waiting for an answer, a story of some escapade. Who was he to disappoint someone after a story?

"Truthfully I do not know." He began. "There are few who do and many reasons why, no doubt. Did I tell you about the time I became a pirate though? I suspect that has something to do with it."

Magnus began retelling the story of his adventures in the theatrical way that only he could. He was pleased with Maryse's reactions. She laughed at the humour, gasped at the surprise and all round acted like an audience should. They spent the rest of the night like this, Telling stories from their pasts as the fire slowly died in the grate.

* * *

Magnus stumbled out of the institute in the early hours of the morning. As the night had progressed the wine had continued flowing and he had drank more than he had intended to. Having to make his way home to Brooklyn in his current state was vastly unappealing. He knew however that creating a portal would be even more dangerous, it could dump him anywhere. How dangerous could the New York City streets be at night? Well at least he had his magic to protect him.

The evening was not was not what he imagined it would be like. Just talking to Maryse he could sense the love for her children and the ever present sting of loss in her. In all the years that he had known Maryse he had barely seen her crack a smile, but that night she had laughed and joked. Altogether she had seemed more human than he had ever suspected. In the end he was glad he had spent the evening there. Now he understood more about the Lightwoods and he was thankful that he had been welcomed. He was also thankful that Maryse had kept he promise and shared some stories of the Lightwood children as they grew up. It was unclear in that moment how they would be useful, be Magnus was sure that one day they would come in handy.

There was a breeze in the air that caused Magnus to shiver and draw his coat closer around himself. Glancing back to the double doors of the institute and saw the figure of a woman watching him leave. He turned his back on the institute and headed out into the night. The streets were close to silent, only the noise of cars passing every so often and the distant wail of sirens. Magnus walked briskly along the street longing to get home. Maryse had offered Magnus a room for the night, an act of genuine kindness. Despite the temptation to stay overnight in Alec's childhood home, he thought it best to leave in order to avoid the awkwardness of the inevitable shared hangover. It was best, he thought to himself, that he leave the night as it was and not to ruin it with whatever may come in the morning. However the more he walked the more he began to regret the decision.

Magnus has always enjoyed the night, he liked the atmosphere that arose at nightfall. He usually liked the people who held the night as their domain, expect for many of the vampire clans that he had had a rocky past with. The night brought out a new group of people, those a little bit more fearless than the rest. Those willing to take more risks. In the darkness he felt that he didn't need to hide, it was a place for those that were in some way part demon. Perhaps most importantly to him, he had met Alec in the middle of the night at his party. When darkness rose and evil began to spread, Magnus knew that the light was always willing to come and bring safety and salvation.

When he passed Central Park, Magnus cursed the taxi service in New York. He had been walking for what felt like an eternity, occasionally passing small groups of people considerably more intoxicated than him. The subway would have been quicker and Magnus knew this but he hadn't felt like rising in a carriage with those stumbling home from more decadent nights than him. The route he had begun walking was one that he had done so many times before. Due to this he allowed his mind to wander, he knew what he was doing and hoped that no one was stupid enough to mess with him.

Just as the thought passed his mind a group of figures emerged from the trees in the park. He was unsure if this was merely a coincidence or that the thought itself had jinxed him. They began slowly walking a few paces ahead of him. An uneasy feeling rose in Magnus's stomach, there was something off about the group that he couldn't quite put his finger on. He tried to stay calm, acting as if nothing has changed. With a jerk he thrust his hands into his pockets in order to hide the blue sparks that were crackling from his fingertips.

The groups walking slowed until they stood a few feet in front of Magnus. By this point he had worked out what was wrong with the group. He could tell by their eerie elegance and their bizarre beauty. They were fey. And they were obviously up to something.

In the time since the end of the Dark War the Fair Folk especially the Seelie Court in New York had been acting out against the shadowhunters. They were enraged by the terms they had been forced to agree to and those lower down in the court had taken to causing mayhem. They had begun by tricking mundanes, drawing them in and messing with them. Some were left to stagger home dazed and confused, while others were trapped in the realm of the faeries. Not only the shadowhunters but many members of downworld had been working to try and stop this best they could. They had had little success so far. From there things had begun to escalade. Small groups had taken to attacking downworlders. In the past week alone Magnus had heard of a young werewolf been driven to insanity in Lower Manhattan. This night, Magnus was in no mood for games, all he wanted was to go home. He did not want to be dealing with the problems of petty faeries.

Magnus knew he was in trouble. He should not have cut through the park, but he had known it would be quicker and with no sign of a taxi in his future it had made sense. Yet he knew that he had just walked into trouble. The faeries new found attraction to attack downworlders, made Magnus a target. They would find joy in confronting a warlock and the high warlock of Brooklyn none the less.

The group moved to surround Magnus, and he knew that there was nothing to do. Magnus's eye was drawn to a tall woman who was terrifyingly beautiful. She had long green hair that tangled about her feet. Up close Magnus could see that her hair was a mix of vines and leaves. Her eyes however were what stuck with him. They were empty. Not in the sense that they were expressionless, there were no eyes in her sockets. In the space where her eyes should have been, there was nothing but a never ending darkness. As she grinned she gently tipped her head causing the action to become more sinister.

"Am I not mistaken in that the Magnificent Bane stands before us?" Her voice was sharp and high causing a shiver to run up Magnus's spine. "And he doesn't even have his little group of Nephilim to protect him. Pity that would have been fun."

All around Magnus the faeries laughed. The sound was haunting, as if hundreds of nails were dragged down a chalkboard. As best he could tell there were about five of them, two women and three men. The odds were not in his favour, but Magnus had his magic and years of wisdom on his side. He knew the situation would not end well for either him or them. Silently he prayed he would walk away from this. In his mind's eye he saw Alec's face and swore to himself that he would see him again. He could feel his power pulsing through his veins as he readied a spell to cast. Over the years he had been in enough fights to know that he would lose the upper hand if he made the first move. Obviously they knew who he was, so he could only hope that they knew of his power. The group would not be content just to taunt Magnus, he knew that they were willing to attack him and he had to be prepared.

A petite blonde to his right lunged towards Magnus. It seemed that her hands were made of twisted branches. Each finger ended in an unforgiving point, reminding Magnus of dainty daggers. It was evident that she was planning to gouge out his eyes. Due to his desire to keep his sight he dropped towards the ground. He had aimed to kick out his leg as he dropped in order to knock over his opponent, it was a move he had seen the shadowhunters perform many a time. Instead of tripping the oncoming faerie, Magnus managed to lose his balance causing him to fall on his arse.

In the second that he lay on the ground, he felt a strong kick to his stomach. He felt a jolt of pain run up his spine, but did not give them the satisfaction of seeing his grimace. The kick had knocked the wind from his chest, the imp that had hit him was stronger than he looked. As the next kick came Magnus was prepared. Before it could hit his mark, a force field erected itself around him. The sudden appearance of his magic had shocked the group causing them to falter slightly. In the distance there was a loud thwack as the imp who had hit the force field was thrown against a tree. Magnus knew that the impact would have killed a mundane, but he knew faeires. At most he would be knocked out, hopefully he would stay down. It was a major advantage to Magnus to have one of them out of the game.

With all of the grace he could muster he regained his footing, staying low in a crouch. An attractive faerie moved towards to Magnus. He was deadly pale with long flowing black hair, but where his torso should be was an empty skeleton. He grinned at Magnus, revealing rows of shark like teeth. With a guttural roar he charged forward, Magnus rolling out of his way just in time to avoid being trampled. As he rolled Magnus twisted his knee, in the heat of the moment he felt no pain. From experience, he knew that when this was all over his knee would be in agony. It was in no condition to be holding his weight but yet he stood. With a graceful flick of his wrist and a murmur under his breath, Magnus cast a spell against the striking boy. Slowly from all around his vines appeared, each wrapped itself around the boy until he was completely encompassed. Magnus guided the vines to choke the boy, not enough to kill him, just enough to knock him out cold.

This enraged the tall woman. However she did not lunge out at Magnus. Instead she began singing to herself. At first it was a quite haunting song, but as she continued it got darker. The noise alone caused Magnus's skin to crawl and he began to feel sick. As her voice rose in an intricate crescendo Magnus felt his senses slip away from him. He could no longer smell the dew cover grass. He couldn't feel the material of his coat against his skin. As if a veil was being placed over his eyes his vision began to blur. It felt so easy for him to give into the song and the darkness that it brought. He could stop fighting and give into this sense of peace that was caused by his new found freedom from the world. Before his vision evaporated, he saw a flash of brilliant blue eyes. Alec.

Somewhere deep inside himself Magnus found a strength that he never knew he had possessed. It was a strength that originated from Alec. With all of his might he recalled the spell he desired. Moments before he was pulled into the oblivion, he muttered the words he needed. It was in a long dead language but it did the trick. The singing stopped and Magnus could feel himself coming back to the world. He cursed himself for wanting to let go. The darkness may have offered him a unique kind of freedom but he knew that he wanted none of it without Alec. With a cocky smile spread across his face he turned to face the leader of the group. She was grasping at her throat, dumbfounded with the lack of sound emerging. It was a simple spell to stop someone from speaking, but in this instance was extremely effective.

"I always have my shadowhunter with me." Magnus knew that Alec would be proud of him for making it this far. He also knew Alec would be unhappy he got in a fight when he was out of the country.

It seemed that the faeries had underestimated Magnus as their unified front began to falter. The blonde headed straight for Magnus once again. He knew that his protection spells were no longer effective. The silencing spell had close to drained him. Rummaging in the pockets of his coat, he came across the vial he was looking for. Ever since the attacks had started, he had tried to be as prepared as possible. In his hand he emptied the small bottle of iron shavings. As the girl charged towards him he blew gently on his palm. The gentle wind caught the shavings and carried them to the blonde girl. As the iron touched the girl she let out a guttural wail that pierced the night. Magnus flinched, but didn't have time to ponder what had happened as it had merely slowed her down not stop her.

With a groan, he grumbled a spell that caused the girl to drop. He was surprised at the effectiveness of his actions. Normally it would have only caused lethargy, but he put the unconsciousness down to her injuries. As she fell her hands scraped down Magnus's arm, ripping coat and breaking the skin leaving a trail of blood. Despite this Magnus's chances of winning just seemed a lot more plausible.

Magnus knew well that when your opponent is expecting you to use a spell a punch straight to their face would come as a shock. With this information he lunged towards the grotesque boy that had moved to stand in front of him. His fist hit the boy's face with a satisfying crunch. The act alone seemed to be enough for him and he crumbled. Up close Magnus could see that he was not faerie like the others but a simple mundane. He felt a pang of pity, but he had made his choice to consort with the faeries and he could have left the fight whenever he wanted.

With four members of the group out for the count Magnus was left to face the leader one to one. She did seemed amused by Magnus's trick to stop her singing. However before she could even move a ring of fire encircled her. The flames did not touch her but he knew she could feel the sweltering heat.

"Take this as a lesson." Magnus shouted over the crackling blaze. "Not to mess with those who are more powerful than you. Do not provoke what you do not understand."

Blue sparks poured from his fingers as he cut off the woman's senses. It was a justice in some way to do to her what she had always done to others. As the darkness encompassed her Magnus let the flames die down. With an unexpected grace she fell to the ground alongside the others. It was clear that Magnus had won, but all he could do was sit on the ground for a moment to allow the events of the last few minutes catch up with him.

* * *

With a sigh Magnus surveyed the aftermath with an exaggerated sigh. The pile of knocked out faeries was going to be difficult to explain. In order to keep the peace with the fey, Magnus had used all of his restraint not to kill any of them. How dare they ruin a pleasant evening with a stupid and unprovoked attack? Glancing over his shoulder to ensure he was alone, Magnus moved to hide his mess. All he had wanted was to make it home so he could climb into a warm bed. Instead he was hiding unconscious faeries in the bushes of Central Park. It was surprisingly tiring work, not to mention the amount of energy he had used to protect himself leaving him drained. Perhaps most annoyingly though he had twisted his knee painfully when he had rolled for cover. He didn't know if he currently had enough in him to hide his attackers, heal himself and find a way to get to Brooklyn. Almost immediately after the fight he had dealt with the slashes on his arm. This however did not deal with the blood on his now ruined coat.

"Faeries have no respect for fashion or antiques for that matter." He muttered as he drew off his coat stuffing it into a nearby bin.

Finding himself content with his work, Magnus cast a final glamour over the group and stopped to admire his work. If any mundane passed all they would see was an artfully placed rosebush, with the most exquisite flowers blooming. He knew that roses shouldn't technically change colour every few seconds, but he supposed that any mundane who was walking at this time would be too intoxicated to notice and would be unlikely to question the rules of botany. The simple task also boosted his mood ever so slightly.

As he continued his walk home he drew home, he drew his phone from his pocket. With one hand he expertly typed a quick message to Catarina.

 _So I got into a little bit of trouble. Some rouge faeries attacked me in central park. Don't worry I am completely safe and I won. And for the record I did not start the fight, I merely emerged the victor. I promise you I did not intend to get in any trouble. XOXOXO_

Hitting send he picked up his pace. The air had gotten colder an the adrenaline burst from the fight had worn off. He regretted tossing the coat, but nothing would draw attention to him more than a bloodied jacket, especially while he was limping. Before he could place it back in his pocket, his phone buzzed again. It was Catarina.

 _I would expect no less from you._

Almost immediately a second text came through.

 _I'm glad you're safe. xx_

Magnus smiled. He had always known trouble was attracted to him, it was a fact of his life. As he continued walking an air of arrogance radiated from him. If trouble was always after him, he felt he was allowed to be a little cocky whenever he screwed trouble over.


	6. Chapter 6- Alec

Chapter 6

Emerging on the beach Alec couldn't help but notice the unsettling calm that surrounded the crowd of shadowhunters. Despite the fact the sun had set and night had fallen, Alec had still expected the area to be full of people. It wasn't that late after all. The area, that was usually bright, vibrant and lively, seemed to be completely abandoned. Even the restaurants, that looked out over the golden sand and gently lapping waves, were closed their curtains drawn. Alec wondered to himself if this had anything to do with the shadowhunters. An elaborate glamour perhaps? Maybe even a fake phone call outlining some vague emergency or another? Over the years he had noticed that mundanes have this built in sensor for when danger was close that caused them to get as far away from it as they possibly could. An inbuilt survival instinct that shadowhunters seemed to not have inherited.

All that could be heard was the gentle lapping of the waves upon the sand as the tides came in, and the uncomfortable shuffle of the shadowhunters trying to size up their situation. The transition from the chaotic panic in the institute to the calm of the attack, caused an uneasy feeling to rise up within Alec. He was used to the chaos, it went hand in hand with a fight after all. He had spent more time in his life in the commotion, than anyone his age should have. However the empty endless beach and the silent air was a cause for dread. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up straight. Something was wrong. Alec just didn't know what. As he glanced towards Jace, it was clear that the same thoughts were whizzing through his mind. It was plastered on his face after all. With a quick look shared with Jace, both boys reached to for their weapons. There may be silence now, but Alec knew that shit was about to hit the fan. When it did, Alec would be as prepared as he possibly could.

Carmen went to speak to the baffled crowd, but before a word could pass her lips Alec raised a hand to silence her. Much to his surprise, the surprise of her husband and the rest of the group she stopped. All of the years Alec had spent paying attention to his studies in the institute as a child was paying off. He knew that there were many species of demons that were blind, relying on other senses to navigate themselves. He also knew that there were many species that had incredible hearing. In that moment they had the upper hand, they were yet to be spotted and if they stayed silent it they would have the power. Alec planned to keep it that way. Silently he turned to face his parabatai. With a collection of intricate hand gestures he was able to tell Jace of what he thought they should do. As he understood what was being said to him, Jace's face broke into a grin and as Alec realised he had been understood, he mirrored his parabatai's joy. Continuing with hand gestures and some intricate drawings in the sand, they formulated a plan for the best way to proceed. Alec was incredibly thankful to have someone to understand his thinking and know his thoughts with a single look. Turning back to the group, they were greeted by a sea of confused and dumbfounded looks. He knew that in order for the plan to work each individual had to play the part they were assigned. As quietly as possible Alec and Jace set about the group explaining what was needed to be done.

* * *

It had taken longer than expected, but finally Alec and Jace had managed to pass out all the information needed. Most of the group had willingly taken up their role, Isaac had followed them around encouraging his Conclave. Some had been more difficult to persuade, but all of Alec's effort had paid off, as everyone seemed to be on board. They group stood in defensive positions, waiting for Alec's cue for them to move. Alec glanced around the surrounding areas for what felt like the hundredth time to check for potential danger. With the group organised to fit with his plan, Alec felt a surge of confidence. What could go wrong in the last seconds before their defensive? Just as he was about to signal the beginning a figure moved from their position in the crowd.

Storming through the group it was obvious to everyone that had Carmen decided her patience was up. With a theatrical flourish she stopped in front of the pair of parabatai, standing almost toe to toe with Alec. It was blatantly clear that she was unimpressed and after years of living with his mother knew that a verbal onslaught was due. He cursed her timing as she began yelling at the pair.

"And why in the Raziel's name should we listen to anything you two say?" Her tone was disgusted and it took all Alec had in him not to flinch. Before either of them could respond a foul cry filled the air. As if appearing from nowhere the shadowhunters were surrounded by hordes of demons. With a graceful ease Alec drew an arrow from his quiver and shot a demon that was seconds away from biting Carmen Ravenwood.

"Well we weren't the ones who gave up or location and lost the upper hand. Oh and I did just save your life, so there is that." Turning away as quickly as possible, Alec made no attempt to hide his grin. He had managed not to sound overly arrogant and he had heard Jace laugh to his left. However it was not the time for gloating there was a battle being waged. Moving to stand back to back with his parabatai, Alec became greatly engrossed in the fight.

The best Alec could see they were being attacked by a hoard of Ravener demons. It was a breed of demon that they had fought a hundred times before, he knew that this should be easy fight but from the looks of it was going to be more difficult than normal. Alec placed another arrow in his bow, and watched as it soared through the air landing directly on target. The runes on the arrow head did their job and the demon began writhing in pain. Seconds later the demon had vanished, returning to whatever dimension it had come from. There was still more demons coming, there seemed to be more each minute. It had begun with a group of about 5 or 6 demon, but the numbers were slowly growing. Every time a demon was killed, another appeared and took its place. Alec knew that at some point they had to stop, all the shadowhunters had to do was persevere. It wasn't as if Ravener demons were the smartest breeds, it shouldn't take too long to put them down.

* * *

Looking around at the other shadowhunter Alec felt a sense of shock. Despite the fact they fought together as a team, and pretty well at that, they seemed to be lacking something. When he fought with his family; Jace, Izzy and Clary, who had become an important member, there was a fluidity to it. It was almost like a dance as each of them moved carefully around each other. They were a team that was strongest when they were together, as if they were meant to fight with one another. However the shadowhunters in Lima seemed only to work together because they had to. He could see a couple of pairs of parabatai hacking and slashing in perfect unison. Aside from them there was no sense of unity. At home they were a well-oiled machine, each part playing its own role and supporting the others. When his family fought together, they moved as one through the chaos of a fight, still finding time to make some stupid joke in an attempt to make one another laugh. Here it was a mishmash of bits crammed together in the hoped that something would work out. Alec felt a sense of pity for these people, they had never had the sense of purpose that he experienced with is family.

He realised his own arrogance as he thought it, but Alec wholeheartedly believed that the New York conclave would have made short work with this attack. Even if he was fighting in the four that made up his family they would have been done by now. The Peruvian shadowhunters kept making stupid mistakes over and over again, meaning Alec had to spend a large portion of his time ensuring they were safe. Alec had spent the last few years fighting along someone with a fraction of the training of those in Lima. However fighting alongside Clary had become instinctual, both quickly learning how to fight effectively alongside one another. There was nothing like that here. It was a difficult situation for Alec to be in. He had spent his life believing in the unity of shadowhunters, seeing it in every battle he had been in, be it in New York or Alicante. But here something was wrong, the Peruvian shadowhunters were disjointed, missing the magic that brought the others together.

* * *

Despite a new surge of demons around fifteen minutes into the fight, the shadowhunters had been able to take back control of the fight. There was still a group of around seven demons still coming at the dwindling group of shadowhunters with all their force. Going into the battle there had been around twenty shadowhunters, there were only five left standing. Alec was pleased to see that all those no longer fighting were still alive, most were wounded but none had died. Standing alongside Alec and Jace were Carmen, Isaac and the dark haired girl that has spoken to Alec earlier. Both he and Jace stood untouched by the demons, sweat pouring from them but no wounds that needed to be dealt with. Alec struggled to keep the smug look off of his face. He could see from the corner of his eye that Carmen's leg had been slashed by the talons of one of the demons. Much to his surprise she was still standing, but it was clear she wouldn't be much longer. Isaac had a minor slash across the top of his left arm, but this did not stop him from fighting through the group to protect his wife. The dark haired girl was spinning at a remarkable speed and seemed to be unharmed as well. Alec could clearly see that she was lost in the moment and wouldn't have felt any injury any way.

Reaching for his belt Alec realised that he was out of weapons. Usually he was over prepared, but everyone else at this fight had brought less than what would be considered safe. He had been forced to waste time handing out daggers and seraph blades to the underprepared crowd. From the corner of his eye he saw Carmen crumple to the group and a Ravener inching ever closer to her struggling body. Without thinking he spun and grabbed a dagger from Jace's weapon belt. His parabatai swung out. Realising it was Alec, Jace stopped his arm from slamming into his jaw. Without a word Alec turned and threw the dagger at the demon moving towards Carmen. As the dagger hit its mark, Alec let out a sigh of relief and paused for a moment to watch the demon crumble to ashes.

From behind him, Alec heard someone call his name, he spun on his heels to once again face Jace. He could see the handle of a seraph blade heading towards him and he reached his arm out to grab it. It felt better to have a weapon in his hand, he felt that the battle may be over sooner than it would have been before. As a team Alec and Jace cut down five more of the demons. Working in perfect synch they moved with grace and ease, taking mere moments to banish the last of the creatures. Across what had become the battlefield the dark haired girl stabbed the last demon and as it disintegrated silence once again fell all around.

Almost automatically Alec's hand reached for his stele and he turned to face his parabatai. Neither were unharmed, but an iratze would help the soon to be aching muscles. Without needing prompted Jace rolled up his sleeve allowing Alec to draw the heeling rune on his arm. Immediately after Alec did the same and they both stood there taking in the victory of the battle. Looking at the crowd, Alec could see that everyone had made it out alive but everyone except for the two strangers were injured in one way or another. Trying to reach as many people as possible, Alec wove his way through the crowd helping those who would accept his help. In the distance Carmen and Isaac were fighting in Spanish. The translation rune on his shoulder had faded and Alec did not care enough about what they were arguing about to reapply it.

Walking away from the crowd, Alec took a moment to take in the beauty of the beach in the light of the moon. He moved to stand his parabatai, allowing the waves to gently crash onto the tips of their boots. Neither knew what to say to the other about what they had just been a part of. It had been a shambles, unorganised and out of control. How were they to help this group of people if they could barely work together themselves? It was as if they all trained alone, never taking time to work as a team to build on their strengths. Aside from the few sets of parabatai, the group was disjointed as if they had only met that day. Before anything else could be done, Alec knew that this needed to be dealt with first. He couldn't expect these shadowhunters to fight alongside downworlders if they could barely fight beside each other. He knew he would be lying to himself if he said that this wasn't worried. How was he supposed to make a team out of a group of people who seemed to hate each other?

* * *

"Do you have what I asked you to bring?" He asked Jace leaning lazily against the door frame. The stone walls of the institute were cool against his bare arms. They had barely been back an hour but Alec could feel himself crashing. All the energy he had, had been spent in the battle and his failing attempts to form a plan to help the Peru institute. He was glad to be back in the cold institute after the walk back in the warm night air.

"I do, I didn't think you would seriously need them though." Jace replied as he moved across the room to his case. "How did you know?"

"I had my suspicions, thought it better to be safe than sorry. I realise it was an odd favour, so I owe you for doing this for me."

Jace came to stand in front of Alec. Within his arms were neatly folded piles of raggedy old jumpers and jeans. Alec had never been more grateful to see his own clothes in his life. When he had opened his case to unpack his worst fears had been confirmed. He had suspected that Magnus may have added some items to his case, but he had hoped that he wouldn't have swapped everything. "It was foolish to have hoped," he thought to himself.

"So what did he pack you?" Jace asked, smirking at the endless possibilities.

"God only knows. I didn't look properly but I saw a lot of neon and something that was made of mesh. In no situation would it have ended well." Alec shuddered at the thought of having to wear any of the items in the case. He knew that somewhere out there Magnus would be getting a real kick out of this. A small part of him was smug that he had managed to outsmart him. There was a first time for everything.

His suspicions had arisen a few weeks ago when he had first told Magnus of the trip. It wasn't the first time that Alec was to go on a trip without him, but this time it was to Peru. Magnus had made a series of extravagant threats that he could never possibly carry through. He had threatened to trap Alec in the apartment, sneak into the country himself or find a way to have Alec imprisoned in a mundane jail for a week as he muttered something about public indecency. Each plan had an intricate set of details and many others seemed to involve the help of Catarina, who Alec believed would take little convincing to help. It had slowly digressed to say that he would send the Chairman as his representative and then finally steal all of his clothes. Alec couldn't help but laugh to himself. He loved Magnus's insane imagination, it was an important part of him after all. He had never expected to love someone so impulsive, often to the point of disaster, it was the opposite of what Alec was. Nevertheless he was so very thankful that he did.

Slowly he made his way back to his room, piles of clothes filling his arms. As best he could Alec opened the door of his wardrobe, with less grace than he liked. With a sigh he tossed everything into the bottom of the wardrobe. After all it had been a long day, he told himself he would tidy it up later but even as he thought it he knew that it wouldn't happen. Jace was the tidy one not him, or Magnus or Izzy or Clary for that matter. He grabbed a jumper and some jeans from the top of the pile and headed into his small bathroom.

Taking comfort in the familiarity of the outfit Alec quickly changed. The jumper he was now wearing was about four years old. However Alec didn't mind, it was comfortable, still fit and didn't have too many holes in the sleeves. In hindsight he realised that packing only gear and oversized jumpers was not the best idea when you were visiting South America, which was known for its warm weather. It was better however, than any of the alternatives that Magnus had packed for him. He shuddered inwardly once again.

Alec was unsure of what to do with himself. He was too riled up to sit and read, yet he was too weary to train. A small part of him wanted to wander the labyrinth that was the Peru institute, but he supposed the residents would be less than pleased to find him. Last he had seen Jace, he was on the brink of falling into a deep sleep and Alec didn't want to ruin that for him. The silence of the room began to encompass Alec, enveloping him in the nothingness.

Jolting out of his reprieve, Alec quickly moved towards the curtain covering the wall. With an overly dramatic flourish he pushed them open, causing himself to laugh. It was an action that reminded him of Magnus and his endearing flamboyance. Stretched out for what seemed like miles was the Peruvian horizon. The view didn't seem real to Alec. He was used to the hustle and bustle of New York. Used to the skyscrapers, and the lights that never seemed to go out. Lima seemed like something out of a fairy tale. The entire city seemed to be asleep, and a gentle hush filled all of the open spaces. He could see the appeal of the city, the dreamlike quality that would allow those who walked the streets to get lost in their thoughts. There was a small part of Alec who found this to be almost heavenly, but he knew that after a day of peace and quiet he would be driven slowly insane. Throughout his entire life he had thought this was the kind of place for him, he was surprised at how uncomfortable it made him feel. He thought to himself that he was destined for a life filled with chaos and madness, as it always had been and always would be.

Perching delicately on the window ledge he watched the world go by. The night stayed still, but occasionally the stillness would be broken for a second as people stumbled home. Occasionally Alec would feel a pang of jealously for all of the things that mundanes say as trivial and took advantage of. He was jealous of their ability to spend a night out without the over looming darkness that seemed to follow shadowhunters. He was jealous that it was not normal for them to lose friends at a young age and worry anytime you watched a family leave, filled with a fear they will never come back. Most of all he was jealous of their ignorance. Alec knew that no matter what he would not swap being a shadowhunter for anything but occasionally he wished he could turn it all off for a short period of time. It was hard to enjoy the simplest things in life when you knew that the world was going to hell in a handbasket.

Breaking the silence, Alec's phone buzzed. Standing slowly to allow his stiffened joints to loosen Alec made his way over to the bedside table where he had abandoned his phone earlier. He had two text messages. The first being from Isabelle telling him about her unsuccessful attempt at stealing church back. Quietly he laughed to himself imagining the frustration underlying the humour his sister was trying to convey. The second text, he saw was from Magnus, just seeing his name cause Alec's heart to quicken. The text was simple and reading it cause Alec to roll his eyes. It wasn't the first time he had gotten a text like it and it wouldn't be the last.

 _So I got into a fight.- M xxx_

The nonchalance of the message let Alec know that Magnus was not hurt or in too much danger. Still he couldn't help the small ball of worry that began to rise in his chest. Quickly he typed out a reply, throwing the phone onto his bed as the message sent.

 _Me too! Did you win? –A xxx_

Alec laid back on the bed beside his phone. He was restless, unsure of what to do with his time. One thing he knew is that sleep would not come for many hours, but his mind could not pinpoint what he would do before he could. Once again his phone vibrated, and Alec shot out his arm to read the reply.

 _But of course my love. I was mighty and victorious, I may have also been a tad drunk. I trust that you emerged the victor also, for you know how to do no less. Now sleep beacons me to its tender embrace. Till we speak again remember that I love you. Xxx_

Alec didn't need to be told that Magnus had been drinking, he was more willing to fight and own up to doing it after a few drinks. He laughed to himself as he read the message, knowing that the spell check on his phone would have come in handy. Being hundreds of years old Magnus was known for sounding a little old fashioned which worked well with his flamboyance. Alec also knew that he was unlikely to get another reply, as Magnus had probably fallen asleep in some random space in the apartment. Despite this he couldn't help the stupid grin covering his face as he wrote his reply and sent it.

 _Goodnight weirdo, Love you too. Xxx_

* * *

Alec quickly lost himself in the pages of the book, they story taking over all of his mind. He had grown up reading books faster than they could be supplied, but they had been non-fiction. They had been books about demons and fairy tales and ghost stories, all of which were so real in his life. Magnus had introduced him to a world of fantasy and wonder. To stories about people making stupid decisions when it came to love and aliens from far off planets. These new stories had begun to call to him like a siren, calling him to read more and keep going. It was one of the greatest forms of magic that Alec had experienced. Being with someone hundreds of years old had its benefits, as Magnus outlined the best books for Alec to read ignoring the dull and overrated. These stories allowed Alec to escape his insane life by living someone else's.

He had started the book only days before but despite his busy life he was over two thirds of the way through. Glancing at the pages he had left he cursed himself. He had promised himself that he would slow down while reading this one, but as per usual he was too caught up in the story to stop. It would be over soon and he was not ready for that.

A period of time had passed, Alec was unsure of how long it had been, when he finally lifted his head from the book. He had curled up on the chair beside the window as close to the dull lamp as he could get. It would have wasted precious time to get and turn on the main light. As he glanced around he caught sight of the shadowy figure standing at the door. Alec was unsure how long they had been standing there, and if they had even said his name. As gently as possible, so not to spook them, Alec gesture for them to come in. The girl with the short dark hair and impossibly large brown eyes entered the room timidly, unsure of what to do now. Alec smiled as kindly as he possibly could.

"Can we talk?" Her voice shook as she asked the simple question.

"Of course." Answered Alec somewhat unsure. He was beginning to doubt what he could do to help, but he had promised.

He gestured for her to take a seat on the bed and watched as she did folding herself in as she sat. Slowly so not to spook her Alec arose from the armchair and closed the bedroom door. If nothing else this would be interesting he thought to himself. Taking a deep breath Alec turned to face the girl whose name he did not know. It was a good thing he wasn't tired enough to sleep, it was going to be a long night.


	7. Chapter 7- Magnus

Chapter 7

Rays of sunlight drifted into the bedroom, hitting Magnus right in his eyes. This did little to help his hangover, the strength of which he had underestimated until he attempted to roll over. Pain shot through Magnus's head, incapacitating him momentarily. Racking his brain Magnus tried to remember if he had any plans for the day, hoping that it instead could be spent in a state of hibernation. Without moving from the covers, he grabbed out into the unknown of his room, in the hopes of finding something to take away the unquenching thirst that had suddenly appeared. His still ringed fingers grasped around the top of a bottle, quickly he pulled in over to his head, dislodging the Chairman as he did. Without looking at what he had picked up, Magnus began gulping down the liquid. It took him longer than he cared to admit to realise that it was not water as he had hoped, but instead more wine. With a groan he recapped the bottle and threw it over the side of bed. Slowly the memory of a formerly drunk him, came to the top of his mind. There was a blurry memory that involved fighting with a group of fey in the park. Due to the hangover taking over his body, he thought there was a strong chance that was just a drunken dream. The pain in his arm must be a result in some drunken injury. One thing he knew for certain is that drunk Magnus had found it to be a good idea to leave wine beside the bed to help with the hangover. He remembered himself muttering the phrase hair of the dog. To the best of his memory after returning to the loft, Magnus had had a few drinks on his own which had caused the confusion in his memory. He knew that he should probably piece together what had happened the night before, but in that moment Magnus decided that he had to do the best thing for anyone he may have to interact with. Without another thought he pulled the covers up over his head and vowed to sleep away the hangover. No matter how long it would take.

* * *

Awakening for the second time that day, Magnus tried his best to stretch finding that he couldn't move his arms. The confusion quickly passed as he realise he was trapped in his sheets. Untangling himself he sat up, cursing the headache that still pulsed behind his eyes. The room was bathed in the gentle light of the moon. Glancing at the clock on the wall it became clear that he had slept through the whole day and into the early hours of the next morning. With a groan Magnus rolled out of the bed, his feet hitting the cold floor. Wrapping himself in one of the discarded blankets on the floor he made his way into the kitchen.

Magnus knew that he was just feeling sorry for himself as he dramatically sighed his way through making a cup of coffee. It wasn't that his hangover had passed (it was still blazing on, much to his distaste), it was down to the fact he was alone. Magnus took pride in his commitment to being melodramatic both with others as well as alone. Consistency was everything. It took him a moment to realise he was using the coffee machine instead of his magic. He knew that some of Alec's habits had rubbed off on him and despite the joy it brought him he still cursed how long the machine was taking. To shorten what felt like an eternity he searched for his phone in order to remove some of the boredom. Magnus had assumed he had abandoned his phone on the counter when he came it, but it wasn't lying there now. Assuming he had plugged it in to charge, Magnus felt pleased with his drunk self. The coffee machine beeped almost too loudly for Magnus's headache. With a dramatic flourish he dumped the bed sheet onto the tile flooring, opting instead for the warm of his coffee.

It had taken longer that Magnus cared to admit, for him to notice that he hadn't seen the chairman since he had woken up. After all he had been asleep all day, so the cat must be hungry and pissed for that matter. Something about the apartment felt wrong now, yet Magnus could not put his finger on it. There was complete silence, that would normally be broken by the sound of the New York street outside. The air was freezing against his skin despite the time of year. Around him the light cast menacing shadows, turning the warm and loving apartment into something more sinister. A cold chill ran down Magnus's neck as he began to sense another being in the room. It was clear that something was very wrong. In an attempt to act as naturally as he possibly could, Magnus rummaged in the cupboard finding food for both himself and his feline companion. Leaving food in a bowl for the Chairman without his imminent arrival meant one of two things to Magnus: either something was terribly wrong or the cat was extremely pissed. Glancing at the coffee table Magnus saw bottles of nail polish, and a memory arose of him painting the claws of the cat, what Magnus had thought was a glorious pink that produced a brilliant contrast to his fur. With that memory he realised the cat was probably more than a little angry. Gradually the paranoia eased ever so slightly, yet something still seemed off.

Close to returning to his normal ease within his home Magnus moved to refill his coffee cup. Just to be sure that everything was okay he slowly made his way around the loft. Each window that faced out onto the street were open, yet no noise from the busy road could be heard. The lighting by the window seats was also darker than the rest of the room, cast in shadows yet the rest of the room was draped in the warm light of the sunrise. He had no recollection of opening the windows the night before, in fact he remembered returning to the flat shivering from the cool night air. Silently he thanked the curious lack of noise, knowing that his hangover was only getting worse the longer he was up. Cautiously Magnus pulled the windows shut, sliding the lock gently in place. Doing this he ignored the feeling that someone stroked his arm.

The sense of someone in the loft returned. Magnus tried his best to shrug it off, blaming it on the bizarre dream about the fey. Apprehensively he checked each of the spare bedrooms just to be sure. Each room seemed to be in the same state that they had been left. A few piles of clothes in the bright pink room left by Izzy, a sketch pad and pencils left by Clary in the orange room. Still no sign of his cat though. The one thing that did appear to be strange to Magnus was that every clock in the rooms had stopped at the same time. He brushed it off as a coincidence. There was no significance to 8:23, why should he be concerned? Content with his search he made his way back to the living room. Laughing to himself about his childish paranoia, Magnus spotted a silver object on the kitchen counter. He could have sworn that it had not been there earlier. Placing the empty mug back on the counter Magnus found the phone to be completely dead. Shrugging he headed back to his room.

At the foot of the bed the wine pooled into a vibrant red puddle. Magnus knew this had to be dealt with but he could not find the energy. Not for the first time Magnus was grateful for his magical cleaning abilities. Worse messes had been left over from his parties. In the space between the bed and the doorway he spotted tiny red footprints. Clearly the Chairman had left the room to venture into another section of the loft, probably sleeping in a warm patch as far away from the grumpy hungover Magnus.

All of a sudden Magnus's head began to spin, his sight slowly disintegrating into black dots. Without any warning Magnus felt his legs fall out from under him, losing all control over his body. Laying paralysed upon his bed he was unaware of the figure that loomed over him watching attentively. In the seconds before slipping into oblivion he heard a blood curdling laugh that confirmed his fear that he was not alone.

* * *

The figure had spent the day watching Magnus before putting his plan into motion. He had expected more from the High Warlock, assumed that his task would be difficult. Having head the legends of Magnus Bane he had presumed that it would have taken considerable time and energy to knock him out. What he had gotten was a drunken fool that had slept for 18 solid hours.

For all of the intelligence that Magnus had possessed he had failed to trust his gut. The figure gently chuckled to himself at the number of time he could have been caught. In the beginning he was cautious, aware of the power of the warlock, using his strongest glamour's to hide behind. At this point he ensured that he would make no noise to give away his position. When Magnus first arrived home, the figure was almost exposed multiple times. As time passed he became a dangerous mix of bored and cocky. It started with moving things about the loft, most of which went unnoticed. Then opening the windows to allow the cool night in. This was done as a mix of overconfidence and feeling claustrophobic from sitting in the alcove by the window since minutes after Magnus and Alec had left that morning. Watching Magnus close and lock the windows, allowed the figure to feel a surge of power. He could plainly see the tension in the warlock's soldiers and seeing him lock himself in his home alongside his soon to be captor gave him a great thrill.

There were times that the figure knew he had gone too far in his attempt to see what he could get away with. He knew that the physical contact of touching the arm of the warlock could have stopped his plan before it started, but the temptation was too great. Actually making physical contact was an idiotic idea, even though he knew this the figure had felt alive for the first time in days. The rush was exhilarating and for a single moment in time the dread in his stomach calmed. And the worry in Magnus's eyes had been worth it. Watching the warlock fall under the power of the drugs the figure surprised even himself when the laugh slipped from his lips. It was an action of complete panic, one of those laughs people do when they don't know how else to react. At that moment he had meant to be more careful yet he gave himself away. He no longer had the upper hand of being undetected and he hoped that would not cost him.

Although he would never admit it he was most proud of the five minutes he sat in the flat in front of the warlock going unnoticed. It was like watching an animal in a zoo. Magnus totally at ease, at least at first, talking to himself about the Nephilim he was in love with. Even in reflection the figure could not work out how oblivious someone could be inside their own home. Shouldn't someone as clever as Magnus Bane have noticed the intruder he caught off guard? How did he miss seeing the stranger in the living room? Why would someone with such powerful enemies allow themselves to becoming vulnerable in a drunken stupor? In that moment he had wanted to be noticed, wanted someone to recognise the level of skill it took to break into the loft and stow away for so long. However if he had been found out then, then he would have to explain himself to his boss which he had no desire to do.

The idea of angering his boss made the panic flare up stronger than it had, regretting the decisions he had made. All the foolish impulses could have ruined his mission and resulted in his violent end. He wasn't one hundred percent sure what his boss was going to do to the warlock but he knew it would not be pleasant for Magnus, who would be lucky to make it out alive. A small part of him did want to speak to the High Warlock of Brooklyn. To find out more about him. To learn and develop. To create some kind of relationship. He could not allow these thoughts to enter his mind. He had chosen his side. He knew where he was to stand. There was no point in considering what may be or what could happen. It would lead him down a dark path. Deep in thought about the pain and torment that could face him if something went wrong, the growling coming from down the hall made him jump. Cautiously he made his way towards the noise before remembering he had locked the cat in a wardrobe. It had seemed that the measly mundane cat was more observant than the high warlock that owned it. It had spent the previous night hissing at the figure in his alcove seat and after a rest with the warlock it came back to attack. Attempting to shoo the cat had become tedious and it was thrown into the wardrobe to stop it giving away his position. Letting the cat out the figure gently bent down and attempted to pat the cat before it ran back to its unconscious owner. There was little it could do now to protect its master. Much to his surprise, the figure hoped the cat would be safe. Whatever was going to happen wasn't going to be pretty, but the furry demon of a cat could be spared. Begrudgingly, the stranger had begun to rather like the stupid animal.

Time was ticking on and the figure knew that there was work to be done, the place had to be prepared before his boss came. If it wasn't he wouldn't be paid and would be lucky if he kept all of his limbs. The reminder of payment helped to motivate the figure. It also allowed him to calm his conscious, he had not set vendetta against the warlock he just needed the money to survive. Still he knew that he would never be guiltless, all he could do was get as far away from everything once it had been completed. Carelessly he went to check that Magnus was still unconscious, he was almost certain that the warlock would not be waking anytime soon. By the time he had gotten around to drugging the coffee, after every other food product in the loft, he had given up on measuring doses. It was more than likely the cat would be knocked out the minute it ate anything.

Acting more gently than he would have wanted to, the figure moved to tidy up the mess that had been left in the apartment. Anger surged through his veins seeing the images of Magnus with the Nephilim. Almost instinctively the figure dropped the frame, allowing it to smash all over the floor. Despite knowing he would have to tidy the mess he had created, the stranger found pleasure in seeing the cracked glass. With one final glance at the image the figure moved to crush the shards, laughing as he stomped on the shadowhunters face.

Gradually the points on the floor were coming together to form a pentagram. When the final lines were connected all light in the room seemed to extinguish, allowing the gentle glow of the moon illuminate the surrounding area. Before starting the room had been cold, now it felt as all heat had been completely. Watching his breath swirl in the air the figure saw the carvings in the wood rapidly darkened from the pale brown floorboards to jet black, creating a fine dark powder. Although nothing had been summoned the pentagram produced a sinister monotone hum that rang in the ears of the figure. It had taken hours to carve the ominous outline into the hard floorboards causing the figure to sweet. Though once complete the room was cold and lifeless. A chilling breeze seemed to be present though there was no way for the wind to get in. The figure felt uneasy around the pentagram, this was new and alien yet somehow familiar. He could feel in his stomach that something was very wrong here. Despite this he cautiously placed black candles at each of the five points. Paying attention to the most meticulous of details. A fear struck him, that if whatever he was to summon managed to get out it could destroy everything. Placing the last candle in place he breathed a sigh of relief. The omen of what was to come was complete. Checking his watch he saw that it was 7.32. Knowing that they had 51 minutes until the plan would be completed the ringing of the buzzer caused the figure to jump. It was not time for his boss to arrive, it was too early. He was not prepared.

With his heart pounding within his chest the figure peered out the window onto the street. Silently he prayed his boss wouldn't be there. A small voice in his head asked who he was praying too. He knew that he had no one to ask for forgiveness or support from. Accepting this job, he knew he had destroyed any possibility of divine intervention. This had just confirmed his damnation. Sighing with relief the figure saw the foolish group of teens hitting every button on the doors. Any later in the day and it would have been the last thing they ever did.

Relaxed the figure strode towards the bedroom. There was a strict timeline on the plan. Nothing could go wrong. He calmed himself knowing that he would have more time in the quiet peace of the apartment before all hell broke loose. The place needed tidied. With a mix of resentment towards the warlock he had to clean up after and the terror of what was to come the figure got to work.

* * *

As Magnus woke one again the sense of uncertainty returned once again yet stronger. Something about the last sleep had been unnatural. He had not been tired, quite the contrast he could feel the caffeine pumping through his veins. The hairs on Magnus's neck stood on end, something was terribly wrong. A dark and menacing laugh echoed in his mind. When he had awoken for the second time he knew it had been left in a shambles, with half of the sheets ending up on the floor. Even the sheet that he had left on the kitchen floor was neatly tucked into his bed. Without having to open his cat like eyes he could sense a presence in his room. Attempting not to be noticed, Magnus tried to slow his breathing to feign sleep. The longer the stranger though he was asleep the better. It was vital that Magnus come up with some kind of a plan to get himself out of another stupid situation.

From the corner of his eye, Magnus could see that his bedroom door had been shut. He was trapped. Panic washed over him, his main escape route was blocked. In an effort to regain some control in the situation Magnus tried to move his fingers. Despite his brain screaming at his fingers to move, they remained frozen. Once again Magnus filled with dread, and despite knowing what must have happened he moved to roll over with no avail. He had fallen victim to a body binding spell. Without thinking a curse slipped from his lips. Much to his surprise the colourful language caused no change in the figure. Magnus knew that he should have been discovered in that moment, but the figure did not change their position. An uneasy feeling crept in. Why would someone go to such effort to capture a person and trap them in a room and then pay no attention to them as they awake?

It became clear to him that he had made a foolish error that he had somehow allowed this to happen to himself. He had spent too long dependant on his protector and had failed to consider the very danger that he may eventually face. After all he was the High Warlock of Brooklyn, it made sense that he had enemies. No one made it to any kind of power without falling out of the graces of a few people. Magnus knew as well that his own personality from time to time had caused people to become disillusioned and angered with him. Some saw him as having too much of a good time, others not enough. In his hundreds of years of life he knew that he could never please everybody. Still he could not conjure up an image of who would send these kinds of lackeys out to get him know.

Glancing trepidatiously at the intruder, Magnus found that he hadn't needed to be so subtle. The stranger appeared oblivious to what was happening in the room around him, instead staring intensely at a melting candle on a bookshelf. Something about the figure seemed wrong. It was as if his outline was blurred. Magnus knew this wasn't a result of the alcohol or spell or drugs or whatever had been used against him. The figure was solid, yet had no defined outline. Magnus could only describe him as solid smoke. There yet not. He didn't know how but Magnus knew the intruder was some kind of warlock. A part of him was human.

Whoever this stranger was it seemed that they had little interest in the warlock they were holding hostage. Magnus tried once again to move, but the binding magic was still present and as strong as ever. Before he could stop himself a small laugh escaped from Magnus's lips. Yet no reaction came from the figure, all they did was stare in the orange flame of the candle never blinking. It was evident that Magnus was not dealing with the top brass, that this was some henchman for someone who would notice a hostage waking up, cursing and laughing. Little could be seen of the stranger but the slouch of their shoulders suggested they were young. Too young to be capable to breaking into a high warlock's apartment and perform a binding spell of this strength. However there was a dangerous look in his eye. A look that suggested obsession and utter devotion to his cause. Magnus had been alive for long enough to know how much damage he could cause. Skill was one thing but fixation on a single cause was in its own ball park.

Five minutes passed as Magnus observed his captor. Little changes, the figure sat staring into the flame muttering to himself with a crazed look in his eyes. Nothing that he said was made any sense and Magnus questioned if he was speaking a real language. Between mumbling in Russian and German the figure made deep feral guttural noises. The words were so quiet that very few words could be made out, only the repeated call for "master" in German could be heard. Magnus was becoming impatient, the figure should have noticed he was awake by now.

In the second after clearing his throat Magnus knew he had made a mistake. The time he had spent awake had been focused on the figure ignoring him and not creating a plan. He had just given away his only power in the situation because of his need to be acknowledged. The figure turned to look at Magnus. For a moment his foggy eyes seemed scared, before the mania set back in again. Neither said a word to the other. Magnus for the first time being lost for words and the figure finally realising what was coming. Eyes flickering across the face of the stranger Magnus tried to find something in his face that he recognised, coming up short. His previous assumptions of the stranger being a warlock appeared to be correct, the magic seemed to pour off of him. It flowed from him like electricity. From what Magnus could tell, the stranger wasn't overly powerful himself yet he had specific skills. It appeared that the figure had mastered skills other magic users left to the mundanes. There was an uncontrolled feel to the stranger, as if neither he nor anyone around him knew what he was truly capable of. Pity surged through Magnus. His common sense told him that he should hate the intruder in his home that had bond him, but he knew that someone was taking advantage of someone so young. It was clear he had been brainwashed, coerced or forced into it. Pity washed over Magnus, such a waste of someone so young. Another person lost to the darkness. Something in him made Magnus want to help the boy, yet he knew this couldn't happen. Both were in too deep now, there was no turning back. At the very least Magnus knew the figure needed the money that he would get for his work. His body language screamed urgency.

At the same time both warlock's in the room moved to speak. Both the boy and the man froze at the others movement waiting silently to hear what was to be said. Both happy they did not have to say a word. Yet neither knew what to say. Magnus had opted for a snarky comment that attempted to hide the panic that pulsed through his whole body. Something to continue the illusion of the great unfazeable Magnus Bane. The figure however felt the need to explain his thinking. Tell the powerful warlock what he had done and why, then beg for forgiveness. He knew that he could not escape now, but he needed Magnus to know his regret, to prepare him in some way. An unknown reason made the figure long for his captive to understand him, to change the thoughts of hatred into pity. Neither moved too afraid to stop the other once again. Magnus radiating the pity the figure so longed for. Pulling on all courage the figure moved to speak. Before the words could leave his lips the door buzzed. The figures eyes shot to the door, yet Magnus's stayed on the figure.

The figure moved towards the entrance. Magnus could see the tension in his shoulders. It was clear the clumsy figure was shaking with fear as he walked. Almost in synchronisation Magnus and the figure took a deep breath. Magnus lay in wait. Arriving at the door the figure tried his best to stop the spasms of fear running up his arm. The clock in the kitchen finally caught up with the others and struck 8:23pm. The time had come. There was nothing left to do. All the confidence and cockiness left the figure. With a shaking hand he pulled the door open allowing boundless evil into Magnus's home.


End file.
